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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24054958">media blur</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/adstalaria/pseuds/adstalaria'>adstalaria</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>NCT (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Canon Compliant, M/M, Pre-Relationship</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 17:54:58</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,955</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24054958</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/adstalaria/pseuds/adstalaria</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>“Y’know, it’s been like, really cool doin’ all this stuff with you. Like this and the movie and the indoor camping and stuff,” Mark tells him as Johnny shifts to face him. His next words are caught in his throat when he notices the sliver of skin that peeks out from where Johnny’s shirt had ridden up. He tears his eyes away from it and tries to look at anything that isn’t Johnny. “Um, and,” he tries to continue as best as he can. “Like, I’m glad that I was the one you asked to do all this stuff with.”</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Mark Lee/Suh Youngho | Johnny</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>202</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>media blur</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>johnmark really have me in an unbreakable vice grip so i have caved and finally wrote something, so cheers to my first kpop fic lol i wasn't really thinking about posting this but The Punch Teaser came out and all my self control went out the window</p><p>set directly after the qtah music video</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Yo, was that okay?"</p><p>Johnny smiles, bringing the camera down from his face. "Perfect. That was great, Mark."</p><p>"You think so?" Mark smiles back, a little giddy as he takes the polaroid out from the camera in his own hands and waves it around to let it finish developing. He hops down from the desk and takes a seat on Johnny's bed where it's more comfortable.</p><p>Johnny is looking down at his camera, quickly going through the footage. "Dude, it's really good. You nailed it."</p><p>The flattery makes Mark a little embarrassed, but for the most part he preens under Johnny's praise. If Johnny says it's good, then it must be.</p><p>"Hey, I was also thinking of filming like a shot for the credits that we can put at the end of the video. We can use the polaroids," Johnny says, pointing at the wall of Mark's pictures. "What do you think?"</p><p>Mark looks up in enthusiasm. "Yeah! Yeah that'd be sick, dude. We should totally do that."</p><p>And Johnny laughs like he had already known that Mark would agree. "Okay, then here," he says, reaching into one of the drawers and grabbing a Sharpie marker to pass to Mark. "You should sign one of the pics we didn't put up yet. Something like, 'Rap by Mark Lee' or something." And he points to the pile of extra polaroids they had taken that they didn't yet use that were left on Donghyuck's bed.</p><p>Mark goes through them all, deciding not to use the ones where he thinks he doesn't look good in, and picks out two decent looking ones.</p><p>He brings them back over to Johnny's bed, where he sits upon cross-legged to write out his credits.</p><p>When he's done, he caps the marker back and stretches out to lean back further and his hand brushes against the polaroid he took of Johnny earlier. He picks it up to look at it now that it's finished developing. It's a little blurry and a little off angle because there's way too much empty space above Johnny's head, but it's kind of charming in its own amateurish way. He hopes Johnny thinks the same.</p><p>He had decided to take the picture of Johnny at the end on a split second whim. He was going to just hold the camera as they ended the song, but a small part of him, who had seen the polaroids Johnny had taken—all of Mark, none of Johnny himself besides the two selfies they had, and felt that it just didn't feel complete. Johnny was the one who made the song; the one who named it, the one who came up with the idea, after all. So, he had snapped a quick photo.</p><p>"Hey hyung," he calls to Johnny, who he sees is arranging some other pictures on the cabinet doors with some magnets. Mark notices that one of them is a picture of himself, taken maybe a year or so ago when they had gone out together for lunch after an awards show. Something warms inside of him at the idea that Johnny has kept that photo of him all this time. Johnny has always been so thoughtful.</p><p>And Johnny turns his head to look at him. "Yeah?"</p><p>“Why don’t you write something too? I mean, like, we can use the pic I took of you and you can sign it too, so,” Mark stumbles on his words, nervously running his fingers on the sharp edges of the polaroid. “You don’t have to use this one if you don’t like it, though, ‘cause it’s like, <em> really </em> bad and we can take another one.” His sentence ends like a question, barely able to look Johnny in the face for fear of being a total embarrassment.</p><p>Instead, he hears Johnny walk over to him, and gingerly pry the polaroid out of his clammy hands to inspect it himself. Mark can feel his neck begin to sweat under his hoodie.</p><p>Johnny looks at it for a few moments and Mark is expecting to be told that he’s awful at photography and that they should definitely retake the photo, but the corners of Johnny’s lips curl up into a fond smile as he stares down at the photo.</p><p>“It’s so blurry,” he says, chuckling, and Mark feels an excuse ready on the tip of his tongue, but Johnny continues. “And the reflection of the flash covers half of my face.”</p><p>“I know it’s bad,” Mark says with a wince. “We can-”</p><p>“I like it.”</p><p>“Wait- You do?” Mark asks, eyes going wide in surprise.</p><p>“There’s a charm to it,” Johnny explains, amusement glinting in his eyes. “Like, it's a picture of me, but it reminds me of you. You get me?"</p><p>Mark nods. He’s just kind of relieved that Johnny actually likes his shoddy camera job. "Totally," he says, even though he doesn't quite get it himself. But, he supposes Johnny means the memory attached to the photo, just like how seeing that year old photo being used made Mark stomach flip with joy. This is the first song they've made <em> together</em>, so these polaroids hold a lot of weight to them as a benchmark of their careers.</p><p>Johnny nods back in agreement and takes Mark's discarded Sharpie and quickly writes something onto the polaroid before he picks up the other two that Mark had signed and returns to his previous spot near Donghyuck's computer to arrange them with the other photos. Mark can hear him humming the lyrics. It makes the warm feeling inside of him grow stronger, knowing that Johnny likes the lyrics Mark had worked so hard on writing.</p><p>This song is Johnny’s first foray into music production, something that he had never really done before, and because of that, Mark wanted to do his absolute best for him. He remembers when Johnny had first approached him about writing the rap for the song. Mark had <em> maybe </em> spent a sleepless night or two going through pages of notebook paper trying to write lyrics that would be good enough for the feeling that they wanted to portray through the song. When he had finally shown the final draft to Johnny and the other had pulled him close and patted him on the back and told him that he loved the lyrics, all those hours Mark had spent felt worth it in the end. And when the time came to record the song in Johnny’s room, he felt his heart racing the same way it did moments before a concert.</p><p>Mark watches carefully as Johnny begins to film once everything is in place. He watches the focus that Johnny puts into filming the shot, and how completely natural he looks while holding the camera. Mark had always had a thought, that maybe, if Johnny weren’t an idol, he would be an excellent photographer. That thought never gets anywhere, though, because Mark can’t bring himself to imagine a scenario in which they would have never met.</p><p>There’s a click, signalling that Johnny has finished filming. With that, the preparations for their song are finally complete.</p><p>Mark whoops in celebration. “Dude, we did it!”</p><p>Johnny laughs, heading back to his bed and throwing himself onto it next to Mark. The mattress bounces at the impact. “We did it,” he repeats, holding up a fist. Mark grins brings up his own and they fist bump.</p><p>“Y’know, it’s been like, really cool doin’ all this stuff with you. Like this and the movie and the indoor camping and stuff,” Mark tells him as Johnny shifts to face him. His next words are caught in his throat when he notices the sliver of skin that peeks out from where Johnny’s shirt had ridden up. He tears his eyes away from it and tries to look at anything that isn’t Johnny. “Um, and,” he tries to continue as best as he can. “Like, I’m glad that I was the one you asked to do all this stuff with.”</p><p>Johnny gives Mark a look that Mark tries not to focus on. “Why wouldn’t I ask you?”</p><p>“Well.” Mark pulls at the drawstring of his hoodie to distract himself. “Like with the song. You could have asked like, Taeyong-hyung or anyone really.”</p><p>Johnny sits up, giving Mark his full attention and furrowing his eyebrows in confusion. “Mark, I asked because I wanted to do all that stuff with <em> you</em>. If I wanted to ask someone else I would have done that.”</p><p>"No, yeah, I get that. I know," Mark replies. His hands absently twist away at the bedsheets. "Sorry, man. I guess I just. Sometimes I think." He doesn't even know what he's saying anymore, but the words keep tumbling out of his mouth like a broken faucet.</p><p>Johnny puts a hand on Mark's shoulder in an attempt at comfort; a heavy, warm weight that makes the skin under his clothes burn. When Mark feels courageous enough, he looks back up at the older, who's worrying his bottom lip between his teeth.</p><p>"I like spending time with you, Mark," Johnny begins. "I guess I was feeling a little selfish about wanting your time when you've been busy with our comeback and SuperM preparations."</p><p>"No, hyung, it's cool! It's okay!" Mark scrambles to say anything that would make things better. "I really like hanging out with you, Johnny. It's been so fun to just, like, talk with you and do stuff together." Mark swallows. "I just like being with you, hyung."</p><p>There's a moment of silence between them after Mark's words. Mark can feel his face heat up like someone had lit a fire next to him.</p><p>Johnny's hand comes up to run through his hair and musses it up. It’s something Mark has noticed that Johnny does often. Mark's eyes follow every motion of it. Johnny has such nice hair, so it always seems to bounce back into its perfect styling no matter how much it's ruffled.</p><p>Mark keeps his hands to his sides, fighting the urge to reach over and run his fingers through the strands.</p><p>And then Johnny laughs, light and a little breathy, eyes crinkling as he looks at Mark, and says, "I like being with you too, Mark Lee."</p><p>And just like that whatever thoughts had plagued the back of Mark’s mind clears. He feels something overwhelmingly like relief mixed in with a bit of glee, and it makes a wide smile break out on his face, a shy giggle escaping his lips.</p><p>Johnny brings his hand back down, settling right next to Mark's. Their pinkies brush. Mark’s hand twitches, torn between wanting more contact and wanting less of it.</p><p>He doesn't have to decide, however, because Johnny moves his hand to tangle his fingers with Mark's. Mark feels his heart going a mile a minute again.</p><p>They both don't mention it, even when they watch through the recording footage together and not when Johnny starts taking pictures of him again while they talk about anything and everything like they always do.</p><p>But it’s there, warm and cozy, just like Johnny’s own presence. Mark has always felt a little closer to home when he’s with him.</p><p>There’s a hint of something else that’s bubbling up in his chest, and the thought of it equally scares and excites him, but Mark thinks—no, he <em> knows </em> that whatever it is, it’ll sort itself out naturally, just like how it feels to be with Johnny.</p><p>And as if to make a point, Johnny’s hand squeezes his as the older cracks a joke.</p><p>“Dude, what if we leave the photos up there for when Haechan comes back from practice?”</p><p>Mark laughs out loud. “Yo, I was gonna ask the same thing!”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>thanks for reading!</p><p> <a href="https://twitter.com/kihyukest">twt</a><br/><a href="https://curiouscat.qa/adstalaria">cc</a></p></blockquote></div></div>
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